
REPORT 


CHARLES S. RICHARDSON, 

CONSULTING ENGINEER. 


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CHMQUI IMPROVEMENT COMPANY. 


REPORT 



OF 



CHARLES Sf RICHARDSON, 

•» 


CONSULTING ENGINEER. 



NEW YORK: 

R. C. ROOT, ANTHONY AND CO., 16 NASSAU STREET. 

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♦ 
























i 




CHIRIQUI IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, 

NEW GEANADA, S. A. 


President and Directors—Gentlemen :— 

In reply to tlie question submitted by some of tlie 
members of your honorable Board—What is likely 
to be the opinion of practical English engineers on 
the merits of your undertaking ?—as one of that body 
I respectfully beg to say: That if the facts are borne 
out as given in the. Deports, Maps, and other docu¬ 
ments laid before me, they must be unanimous in its 
favor. The specimens of coal sent for examination 
are very positive in their nature, they admit of very 
little doubt as to the quality and productiveness 
of the seams from whence they were taken; if you 
could furnish me with a descriptive vertical section of 
the strata, and approximate the position of the 
“ Faults,” Slides, Dykes, Troubles, &c., peculiar to this 
formation, so that I might arrive at some definite 
conclusion as to the cause and probable effect on the 
measures by these disturbing phenomena, I should be 
able to decide with greater certainty on their relative 

value, but in the absence of such information I will 

1 





2 


proceed to give you my views as deduced from tlie 
Report of Professor Manross, your Geologist. 

The system, no doubt, is the early Tertiary, from 
its fossil index; at all events the upper part of it is. 
The course of the measures, as delineated on the map 
before me, is in a north-west direction. Twelve seams 
of coal are represented in them, commencing at the 
eastern end of the Lagoon and terminating in the 
Sierscliick Creek on the Changuinola river in the 
West, a distance of about fifty miles. These seams 
mostly dip at an angle of 20 degrees to the north-east 
or under the sea See Fig.l. On the west they are 10 
or 12 miles wide before they reach the sea, in other 
parts not more than 2 to 5 miles wide. I shall deno¬ 
minate them as three groups of coal seams, and class 
them as the Upper, Middle, and Lower series ; the 
superficial area cannot be defined, as the line of junc¬ 
tion of the primitive with the secondary formation is 
not delineated on the map. This is much to be re¬ 
gretted, inasmuch as it would identify the local posi¬ 
tion of the lower seams, and thereby in all probability 
enlarge the present supposed dimensions of this mag¬ 
nificent coal field. But, take it as it is, you will find 
quite sufficient coal to meet the requirements of five 
millions inhabitants for the next 400 years, for as near 
as I can estimate there must be at least 300 square 
miles or 192,000 acres of surface underlaid by coal, 
and each acre, at the very lowest computation, will 
produce 10,000 tons. 

Prof. Manross says there is great unifonnity in the 
character of the rocks that line the coast, consisting 



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of sand and limestones, but tlieir dip or inclination is 
not regular. Now this must naturally be expected, 
being in the vicinity of volcanic mountains, although 
upheavals are not always an index of those plutonic 
phenomena ; he considers the variety of inclination to 
be the result of intruding ridges of trap. I presume 
he means Trap or El van dykes, unless they are Trap 
Ranges, like those at Paterson, New Jersey, and 
Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts, which repose on the 
sandstone formation; if like these they will in no way 
materially break the continuity of the seams, but if 
caused by protruding dykes they will produce 
“ faults.” 

In setting out your colliery operations care must be 
taken to ascertain the locality, dip, and bearing of these 
dykes ; this once known, a great deal of difficulty to 
the miner may be avoided; the works may be prose¬ 
cuted with more certainty, progress with greater speed, 
and arrive at a successful issue at less than one half the 
usual cost. I have examined three specimens of coal; 
two of them are what we term semi-bituminous, and 
known in South Wales as Cardiff Steam Coal; one spe¬ 
cimen is of a ligneous nature ; its relative position, in 
situ, may be readily identified, it may justly be called a 
wood coal; its fossiliferous properties are very distinct, 
it is the newest or upper one of the series; I think this 
is from “ Secretary” top seam. No. 2 specimen taken 
from Popes Island and Saddle Hill, is strongly bitu- 
menized; it belongs to the middle group; I think it will 
coke when mined from a depth of 20 or 30 fathoms. 
This specimen as an outcrop coal is most excellent: I 


4 


never should desire a better: it gives all the indications 
of belonging to or coming from a rich seam. Outcrop 
coals, on account of their long exposure to water and 
atmospheric action, lose by evaporation a great por¬ 
tion of their most valuable properties, hence very little 
reliance is to be placed on their value by analysis. It 
is a very common error in persons having the idea 
that the real value of a coal field can be determined 
by samples of the outcrop; in the present instance 
the specific gravity given is only 1.270. I presume 
this is calculated from some of the poorest specimens, 
for among some that I have tried there is one as high 
as 1.375. The average of the analyses given in your 
reports is as follows : 

Volatile parts, - - - - 35,705 

Carbon “ - - - - 57,955 

Waste and ash, - - - - 6,340 


100,000 

In publishing the results of this assay, you do not 
give justice to even the outcrop Coal you have in your 
possession. I know of a surface seam in the Taff val¬ 
ley, South Wales, similar to this, it is a little below 
New Bridge: it is again cut at Pont-y-prid 30 fathoms 
deep, where it produces some of the finest upper seam, 
steam coal that is now sent into the Port of Cardiff. 
It may perhaps be considered premature, and I may 
err in my predictions : but I do say—and say it too, 
without any fear of contradiction—that the produce 
of the Seams of the middle series will give an equi- 




5 


valent to 75 per cent, of Carbon. No. 3, or lower 
group—are opened on in tlie Sierscliick and Jinia 
creeks, on tlie Ckanguinola river; about 10 or 12 
miles inland from the coast, there are 4 distinct Seams, 
tlie upper one of wliicli is cut in Cultivation creek on 
tlie south shores of Shepherds’ harbor. These are 
the richest specimens, and fully decide the character 
of the coal that will be found in the lower seams of 
these measures, and I have no hesitation in saying 
they will very nearly, if not quite, equal the Welsh 
Steam Coal. I have not time to spare just now to 
make an analysis of all the samples, but at some con¬ 
venient period I will do so; for I think a perfect 
knowledge of the real properties of these Coal Seams 
very interesting, not only as in application to, or for 
your own particular advantage—but on public grounds, 
for they must eventually become of immense value to 
the Steam marine of all the Eastern and Western na¬ 
tions : their geographical position is all that is desir¬ 
able. They are in fact, to use a trite phrase—“ the 
right coals in the right place.” The quantity of mer¬ 
chantable coal that may be produced from these three 
series of seams can be computed with sufficient accu¬ 
racy from the data given by Prof. Manross, the result 
of which is as follows:— 

“Secretary” —upper group—3 seams opened on 
—respectively 4 feet, 6 feet and 2J feet thick—12 £ 
feet soft, open coal, say 75 lb. to the cubic foot, 
making 3j| tons aggregate per superficial yard of 
seam: allow 25 per cent, for waste in working, and 







6 


it gives a net produce of 13,672 tons to tlie acre ; 
it is reasonable, liowever, to suppose these seams will 
become more coutracted in depth on account of 
compression, but then the coal will have an increased 
density which will equalize the difference between 
weight and bulk. 

Popes Island and Saddle Hill —middle group— 
6 distinct seams, from 2 to 5 feet thick—average 20 
ft. aggregate—specific gravity said to be 1.27 = 79.37 
lb.—say, fractions omitted, 80 lb. per cubic foot; 
now as some of these seams appear to be “ Thin 
Coal,” one third must be allowed for waste in work¬ 
ing, which at 80 lb. gives 6J| tons to the superficial 
yard of seam, less i equals 20,740 tons to the acre. 

Ciianguinola— lower group—from the description 
given, there appears to be a greater depression in the 
strata here than at any other point: the angle of dip 
being over 30 degrees. These seams are thinned out at 
the edges; by this, it would appear to be the selvage of 
the measures. I think it very probable, as the upheaval 
of the primitive base, which without doubt is constant 
in its action, although imperceptible to our visual 
senses, would first fracture the edges of the coal forma¬ 
tion and tilt up its strata. See fig. 2. There have been 
9 seams found here, ranging from 1 to 3 feet in thick¬ 
ness. I will, however, reduce them, to approximate 
their value, to three; and set their aggregate thickness 
at 10 teet. I his is the finest coal yet seen, particu¬ 
larly the specimens from Cultivation creek on the 
















7 


shores of Shepherds’ harbor, which is one of this 
group ; it is very compact and will weigh 82 lb. to 
the foot: in its broken or merchantable form 54 lb. 
to the foot—bulk in stowage 38 feet cube to the ton; 
allowing again one third for waste in working and 
pillar, the net product will be 10,630 tons of salable 
coal to the acre. 

How near the Saddle Hill group will approach the 
above, can only be ascertained by an instrumental 
survey, but I entertain an opinion that many more 
seams intervene between the lower and middle series. 
There will also be found in “ Robalo ” river the same 
seams as are opened on at Sierschick, unless this part 
of the formation has been entirely denuded by the ac¬ 
tion of the sea. Now if we may judge by analogy, 
there ought to be under the middle group one or two 
seams of a much greater thickness than any yet seen; 
and I would advise you to direct your engineers’ at¬ 
tention to this important feature, as it will materially 
improve the value of the entire pro]3erty. 

MINING OPERATIONS. 

I shall not be able to give you a very good outline 
of the cost of this part of the works, as the descrip¬ 
tion you have sent me of the formation is so curtailed 
and vague, as scarcely to allow me scope enough to 
form an opinion, but to illustrate the matter, I will 
adopt an imaginary case. 

At u Secretary” the cliff is said to be about 40 feet 



8 


liigli above tlie beach; midway up, or 20 feet from 
its base, a seam of coal is seen outcropping, there is 
another on the beach a little way below the cliff, and 
another some few feet under w r ater; let us suppose 
the distance between the upper and lower seams is 
40 feet; a cross section of the strata through the 
cliff would present the seams as shown in the follow¬ 
ing sketch. Fig. 3. 

At the first commencement of your mining opera¬ 
tions there must be some exploring drifts run in, to 
prove the dip and range of the seams—one of those, 
if properly located, may form the future adit, or main 
drift of a considerable work: it must be kept up high 
enough above high water mark to avoid the heavy 
swell of the ground sea, during the prevalence of the 
u Northers.” The seams dip at an angle of 20 degrees; 
you will perceive this level intersects the upper seam 
at 95 feet from its entrance, all the others lie below. 
You may commence taking away coal from this point, 
if you like ; it may do very well for domestic use, 
and may be mined at a profit perhaps. But if you 
take my advice, you will not offer any of it for sale, 
for the generation of steam on board the Atlantic 
steamers; if you do, a risk is incurred of having a bad 
name given to your coal at the onset. I can furnish you, 
if desirable, some lamentable instances of errors of this 
kind. This main exploring drift becomes the future level 
course; the main intake and wagon road; it should 
be 12 feet wide, and driven across the strata for 150 
yards ; in its course it will intersect in all probability 
other seams, but whether it does or does not, this 


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9 


will be far enough for the commencement of a small 
colliery. You now commence at the surface, and 
sink a shaft of sufficient size to become the future 
upcast shaft of the entire mine, say 16x9 within the 
timbers; this is divided by bratticing into two equal 
parts, half of which is for the pump and uptake, or 
ventilating shaft, and the other for the winding-shaft. 
A large plat or lobby is cut at the end of main drift, 
wherein is built a ventilating furnace, and securely 
walled off air tight from the intake; or if a Shaft-fan, 
Steam-jet, Radiating grate, Disk pump, or other 
modern contrivances are introduced, the furnace may 
be dispensed with altogether. But whatever mode 
of ventilating the mine is to be adopted, a strong 
steady current of air at the rate of 5 feet per second, 
or 20,000 cubic feet per minute, must be kept up, 
and constantly coursing itself through all the work¬ 
ings. I must here remind you that this is a very 
important matter, and one on which the success and 
profit of your future mining operations will greatly 
depend. Your workings, you may perceive, are 
all on the rise, gases will accumulate here in the 
goaf unless the current is pretty strong; you have 
at the very onset to make provisions for working a 
fiery seam—the coal is of a nature to promise this 
any how. The only way to avoid accidents, is to be 
prepared for them; the saving of five dollars in the 
shafts and drifts at the beginning, will cost the com¬ 
pany $95 when the first man gets killed by fire damp. 
Look for instance at the dreadful explosion a few 
months ago at “Aberdare Colliery,” South Wales. 


10 


Now take a piece of tlieir upper seam coal, and your 
middle group coal, put these two together, I should 
like to see the man who could distinguish the differ¬ 
ence. If Aberdare coal produces the explosive gas, 
“called carburetted hydrogen,” why should not 
yours ? I say it now—before you have sunk a fathom 
on any of the seams, that at 40 fathoms deep you 
will have fire damp to contend with, but this does 
not depreciate the value of your mines. All good coal 
gives off gas. You have only to lay out your works 
in a proper manner at the onset to meet these con¬ 
tingencies ; to the practical engineer they are very 
plain and simple, to the uninitiated very complex. 
There are many hundreds of colliery owners, who 
have had to pay dearly for winning coal without 
having paid due regard to ventilation; and to all 
new beginners in this most valuable branch of mining: 

o O 

enterprise I would say: consider well the old adage, 
from the u faults of others learn to correct your own 
failings.” When the winnings are first made by the 
shaft intersecting the seams, a headway course is 
driven out right and left at a gently ascending grade ; 
bords or stalls may then be commenced as fast as the 
headways progress. Coal is now ready for hauling; 
it is sent up by a skip, or by the wagon and cradle, 
the latter in all cases preferable ; landing on the 
lobby it is run out by the main drift on the pier or 
platforms on the beach, screened and put on ship¬ 
board. The shaft, from the adit upwards, is only 
used for ventilation, and hauling such coal as may be 
required for the use of the steam engine. The quan- 



11 


tity of coal tliat may be returned, will depend on the 
extent of the workings; within twelve months after 
the first seam is won, from 80 to 120 tons per day 
may very easily be raised. This, I consider will be 
quite extensive enough for a commencement. Other 
collieries may be opened out as fast as the trade in¬ 
creases or the requirements of the company want them 
to be brought into play. To open this mine, and put 
it into a good state of working for permanency and 
safety, will amount to about the following cost:— 


160 yards Main Drift, .... 

300 u Headway Drift 1st Seam, 

300 u u “ 2nd u 

300 u u u 3rd “ 

800 u Stallway course, - - 

Lobby,.. 

10 fathoms Shaft down to adit, 

34 u “ to 3rd Seam, ■ 

1600 yards Stall tramway, - - 

150 u Main drift or adit, do. 

34 fathoms pit work complete, 

20 Horse Power Steam Engine, - - - - 

Wagons, Mules, and Harness,. 

Pit-head, Drums, Popes, Cradles, - - - - 

Engine house, Ventilating Furnace, - - - - 

Buildings, Cottages, Screens, &c., - - - - 

The Pier or Jetty, timber-framed, - - - - 

Freight of materials, . 

Engineering, Contingencies, and Miscellaneous 
Expenses,. 


$15 00 $2400 
3600 



2000 
200 
1200 
5100 
2400 
375 
2550 
4500 
1000 
1000 
1000 
6500 
700 
1500 

3975 
$38,000 






12 


In the absence of any accurate knowledge of the 
ground through which the sinkings and drivings are 
to be conducted, the preceding estimate is not to be 
considered positively reliable, yet with ordinary good 
luck in their execution they may be near enough for 
you to form a calculation of required capital. 


“WORKING COST,” 


if reduced to the simple ton, will be about as follows, 
although I may say it is a very vague and uncertain 
way of making an estimate: 


Cutters (Miners),. 

^Trammers to shaft,. 

Hauling by the Engine,. 

“Tramming to the Ship,. 

'^Screening and shipping,. 

Timberman, overman, furnacemen, Ac., - - 

Proportion in shafts, drifts, and dead work, - 

Accidents, breakages, delays, wear and tear, 

renewals, Ac., Ac.,. 

Royalties or Government dues, - $0 10) 

Management,. 10 j 


$0 60 
04 
08 
05 
03 
10 
10 

10 

20 


Cost per ton,.$1 30 


These calculations are based on the assumption that 
100 tons a day at least are returned. Native labor 
is cheap and plentiful, and although the people know 


* Native labor from 30 to 50 cents per day. 












13 


as yet nothing about mining operations, they can very 
soon be taught under the instruction of a party of 
steady miners, who will very soon drill them into 
useful mine laborers. 

With an outlay of from $38,000 to $40,000, you 
will have a neat, well arranged, and safe little colliery, 
increasing in value with its progressive development, 
creditable to its directors, and profitable to all inte¬ 
rested. 

There are other places on your property that may be 
opened at a less cost; but if you want good coals and 
wish to have the public reputation of being able to 
supply such, you must go down after them. A col¬ 
liery once opened in the manner that I advise would 
last for 25 years. Many persons in this country have 
a notion that, because coal seams crop out at the 
surface, companies can go and work them with a 
nominal outlay, and make immediate profits; ask 
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and Illinois the ques¬ 
tion—the answer will be, it’s a perfect absurdity. 

THE GOLD DEPOSITS OF CATABELLA. 

From the explorations made by Captain Bonner 
and Prof. Manross, very little doubt can be entertained 
but that all the streams rising in the ravines and 
gorges of the Boquete will be found more or less 
auriferous. The strata also of those mountains are 
congenial for the production of Gold-bearing quartz 
veins, but the precedent we have of quartz mining in 
California and Virginia, shows by its unfortunate 



14 


results how very precarious are the chances of gain, 
and that this class of property, however alluring, is 
in itself of very little intrinsic value. Nevertheless, 
the streaming or diggings in the alluvial of this placer 
may attract the attention and stimulate a spirit of 
adventure among the erratic miners of San Francisco, 
and if it affords no other good, it will at least assist 
immigration; apart from this feature, I consider the 
gold fields totally unworthy of the attention or notice 
of the company. 

THE NEW ROAD. 

The construction of a macadamized turnpike road 
appears to be a very simple matter, and so it is when 
made for the mere purpose of connecting the towns 
of an Inland State. The world has spoken with 
wonder and admiration, of the celebrated military 
road from Shrewsbury through North Wales, across 
the Menai Straits spanned by “ Telford’s ” stupendous 
Suspension Bridge, and on through the Isle of An- 
glesea to Holyhead, in England. Certain parts of 
this structure w r ere at one time looked upon as one of 
the seven wonders of the world : it had its day, it was 
a masterpiece of civil engineering. Thirty years have 
passed—“ Stephenson’s ” gigantic Britannia Tubular 
Bridge now stands side by side with the old suspen¬ 
sion bridge. Here is a theme for the speculator on 
the progress of science. I feel a pride in the reminis¬ 
cence of the achievements of my countrymen. But 
all those works, in point of utility, sink into compa- 



15 


rative insignificance wlien viewed in juxtaposition 
with the projected new Road across the Isthmus from 
Chiriqui lagoon on the Atlantic to the City of David, 
or to Golfo Dulce on the Pacific. The before named 
works were exclusively applied to ihe uses of the 
people of one country, while the latter becomes the 
great highway of nations. In their relative values, 
the one may be said to be individual, while the 
other is universal. 

We have been accustomed to imagine the Cordille¬ 
ras an impassable barrier except for packhorses or the 
muleteer ; but the reports furnished by Messrs. J. B. 
Cook & Co., your engineers, Prof. Manross and J. E. 
Flandin, Esq., Dr. McDowall, and others who have 
made themselves well acquainted with the geography 
of the country from ocean to ocean, show there are 
no engineering difficulties whatever to be encountered 
in the construction of a turnpike road entirely across. 
Its average grade does not exceed that of many roads 
in Virginia and Pennsylvania. The greatest altitude 
does not appear to be over 2000 feet—the distance 
from David to the lagoon is 55 miles. From the Pa¬ 
cific side 25 miles reaches the entrance of the pass— 
this would be only 90 feet to the mile. /The next 15 
miles are through the passes of the mountain, and if 
we assume this to be nearly level, which of course it 
is not, there remain only 15 miles to reach the At¬ 
lantic coast at a down grade of 111 feet to the mile. 
The greatest inequalities of the grades are not more 
than 1 in 50, to 1 in 65, and these of short duration. 
I know of several railways in England where some 



4 


16 

of the gradients are as sharp as this—for instance : 
On the Southeastern line from London to Brighton 
and Dover—at the incline at New Cross—again on 
the great Western from Exeter to Plymouth. In the 
forest of Dean one of the inclines has a gradient of 
one in fifty. A powerful eight wheeled locomotive 
has recently been built to traverse this road with 
heavy freight trains loaded with coals. 

I need not particularize the peculiar features of the 
route, as it is given you in detail, most likely, by your 
engineer; but I would say you have not even the 
shadow of a difficulty to encounter for a turnpike 
road; and I believe very little for a Railroad. In 
laying out this main track I would advise your mak¬ 
ing it wide enough to lay a Tram road by its side. 
Now at a grade of 150 feet in the mile, a good horse 
or mule can easily haul on a tram road, a wagon or 
car carrying one ton at the rate of three miles per 
hour. With such beautiful hard wood timber as you 
have, and water power available close to or in the 
forests, for the Saw Mills, an excellent tramway may 
be laid for $2,500 a mile. Now as the grade of the 
country on either side of the mountain chain is flatter 
than ordinary country roads, the road will be con¬ 
structed very cheap, and very quickly. You now have 
only 15 miles that may be considered any way rug¬ 
ged, which is through the pass. This should be laid 
with a Tramway by the side of the turnpike road. 
Passengers and all light goods can be transported 
from the Roadwagons into the Tramroad cars, and 
run along at the rate of 6 miles per hour to the next 






























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17 


station, when they again take the road by omnibus or 
wagon, and travel down hill all the way to the Port. 
By an arrangement of this kind, and it would not be 
very costly, I believe the passenger vehicles would 
run across the Isthmus in 8 hours. The objections 
that may be urged against it would be the break¬ 
ing bulk twice on the road ; but if any inconvenience 
is experienced from this, the Tram Cars can be con¬ 
structed so as to take the Koad wagons, freight and 
all, along with them. At the commencement, a 
single line of tramroad would suffice, making 4 trips 
per day: that is to say, two from each side, similar 
to the Nan tie Yale Tram line in Carnarvon. Four re¬ 
lays of horses will be required to work the traffic 
through; each team working out and home. In Corn¬ 
wall, where the country is very hilly, Hoad wagons 
make 2 h miles per hour, omnibuses 6, and coaches 
about 8i—each stage is about 12 miles apart. The 
same thing can be done on your road, and at a far 
less cost, while the traffic in a short time must be¬ 
come one of very great importance. The sketch Fig. 
4 will convey an idea of the proposed plan of Hoad 
and Bail. If it could be made convenient, the road 
should be so graded as to become the future Lo¬ 
comotive Bailroad line, as little would then be 
further required than to do the ballasting and lay the 
metals; as regards the present cost of construction, 
the route over the Savannas may be graded and 
covered for a dollar per linear yard; the price of 
labor appears to be about the same as in the country 

districts of England and Wales. I once cut a hill-side 

2 


18 


road around the Hindhead hills at a little less than 
90 cents per yard; but where rock cuttings are re¬ 
quired it would of course amount to a good deal 
more; from what I can learn there will be little or 
no cuttings until the road enters the pass. Hay¬ 
ing arrived at this point, I will now take an extreme 
view of the matter: I will assume the average of the 
mountain spurs to present an angle of 33 degrees 
throughout the entire 15 miles, a thing not very pro¬ 
bable. The following cross section of the line of 
route Fig. 5 will show there are only 65 cubic yards 
of cutting to the linear yard of Road. This every 
body knows when put under the direction of compe¬ 
tent “Gaugers” (Navvy foremen), can be done for 
25 cents per yard. The cost wdll then stand thus:— 
13x4.50x3-^27 = 6.5 yards; 63 yardsx25 cents= 
$l,62ixl760=$2860 per mile and $42,900 for the 
15 miles. It is not at all likely the whole distance 
will average such a depth of cutting as this, some 
sections will be heavier, but a great many much 
lighter; many of the spurs and slopes are generally 
covered by the debris of the mountains in the form 
of boulders and diluvial gravel, which is easily re¬ 
moved and levelled. There will be 10 timber bridges 
required of various span, and about 300 culverts 
throughout the whole route; the former will cost 
$3C0 and the latter $5 each. I am now supposing 
the strata to be composed of Mica slate, Gneiss, Horn¬ 
blende and Porphyritic rock. The two first make a 
good building stone for retaining walls, piers, and cul¬ 
verts, and the latter being full of joints “ rips” well 
























19 


witli powder and furnishes a good filling material. It 
must be understood I am forming this estimate with¬ 
out any intimate knowlege of the country; my ideas 
of its general contour are derived from information 
conveyed me by Mr. Flandin and the Report of Mr. 
Cook. The data, however, of the calculations are 
based on similar works in the mountainous districts 
of North Wales, with which I have been practically 
acquainted for many years; I think they will not 
run far wide of the mark one way or the other. 
There will be 4 Haciendas, Inns, or Ranchos required 
on the road—these may be set down at $1500 each; 
also 10 toll-gates and houses, with about 50 laborers’ 
shanties. 

The works at each terminus of the road, I do not 
consider necessary to take into account in this paper. 
They must come under a separate estimate, as they 
involve the cost of constructing Docks, Piers, Quays, 
Dams, Wharfs, and the first part of a new Town; es¬ 
pecial surveys are required, and plans prepared before 
anything like a definite view can be taken thereon. 
You probably may have had this already prepared; 
if so, I can give you the cost of building from the 
working drawings. 

SUMMARY OF THE COST OF THE ROAD. 

15 Miles from the Lagoon to the pass $1,760 $26,400 
15 Miles through the pass .... 2,860 42,900 

25 Miles down to David.1,750 44,000 


Carried over • . 


$113,300 




20 


Brought up, .... $113,300 

15 Miles single Tram-way .... 2,500 37,500 

10 Timber-bridges. 300 3,000 

300 Culverts. 5 1,500 

4 Ranclios and furniture .... 1,500 6,000 

10 Turnpike Toll-houses and Gates . 150 1,500 

50 Laborers’ Shanties. 50 2,500 

Rolling Stock, Horses and Mules, &c. 7,000 

Manager’s Dwelling-houses and Offices 2,000 

Engineering and Superintendence 4,700 

Casualties 1,000 


$180,000 

With this outlay you will have a well graded road 
across the country, and which at any time may be con¬ 
verted into a Railroad ; as it is, it will become the 
nucleus of the greatest line of road, and one of the 
most useful, on the American continent. 

The country is described as one of the most luxu¬ 
riant within the tropics; every description of grain, 
vegetable, fruit and flower flourishes almost spontane¬ 
ously ; its forests produce the finest timber; its rocks 
are impregnated with the precious metals, and what 
is far richer, its precious stones — u the black diamonds” 
of its coal seams; its woods abound with game, its 
rivers and bays with fish ; its climate the most 
salubrious—its sanitary condition all that can be de¬ 
sired. No stagnant pools or foetid deadly swamps 
exist to spread their pestilential miasmic vapors 
over the land to contaminate its pure atmosphere. 








21 


Its aborigines are a peaceful, sturdy, intelligent, fru¬ 
gal, and industrious race, anxious to learn, willing to 
be tauglit, and grateful for favors conferred. The 
power of that direful bane to colonization, the old 
Spanish priestcraft, has ceased to exist; a free tolera¬ 
tion of all religious creeds or sects prevails; the local 
government are most liberal in their concessions, and 
look forward with anxiety for the development of the 
Company’s undertaking. 

The Company’s property, taken collectively, is one 
of immense magnitude. The turnpike road is intend¬ 
ed merely, I presume, to make a commencement of 
the transit route, and open up the mineral properties ; 
but no turnpike road can meet the wants of a direct 
commercial transit route like this, for it must become 
in a very brief space of time the main line of overland 
travel between England and her Australian and East¬ 
ern possessions; also for England, France, and the 
United States to China, and the southern and northern 
ports of the Pacific. At each end of this road wdll 
be one of the finest harbors on the coast of either 
ocean, and most decidedly the best on the Isthmus ; 
from what I have ever read or heard of the two other 
roads, they do not possess anything like the facilities 
for economy, comfort, and convenience as this one 
from Chiriqui. I can see not the least impediment 
in the way of its becoming the favorite line of travel, 
and more particularly now since the outbreak of hos¬ 
tilities in Nicaragua, which, settled as they may be in 
the present case, will be still subject to renewal. In 
conclusion, I beg to say that all practical men who 


22 


will take a careful review of your undertaking, must „ 
come to the same opinion as I liave: that it is one of 
the finest and most promising enterprises of the day; 
that it is destined to meet with public patronage; and 
if you carry it out with energy and spirit, it must 
redound greatly to your credit, and in a short time 
yield pecuniary advantages second to none of its 
magnitude in this or any other country. 

I remain, Gentlemen, 

Yours respectfully, 

CHARLES SAMUEL RICHARDSON, 

Civil and Mining Engineer. 


Southampton, Massachusetts. 

Late 15 Old Broad si, London. 



























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